Inter captain Lautaro Martinez stole the headlines on Saturday night as he came off the bench to score a poker of goals in a 4-0 battering of Salernitana. The Argentine striker joined the fray in the 55th minute and won the game for Nerazzurri single-handedly in one of the best individual performances in Serie A in the past few years.
A four-goal margin at full-time doesn’t tell the whole story. Inter massively struggled at Stadio Arechi this weekend, especially in the opening hour of play. However, Martinez’s mind-blowing showing off the bench made a stubborn Salernitana defense look like a group of kindergarten children.
He opened the scoring with a delightful chip. He then volleyed home Nicolo Barella’s cut-back. Marcus Thuram drew a penalty to help the Inter skipper complete his hat-trick in the 85th minute. Moments later, Martinez beat Guillermo Ochoa again, this time with his weaker left foot, turning home Carlos Augusto’s perfect low cross.
Martinez’s stellar four-goal haul took his seasonal tally to nine in Serie A and ten across all competitions. The Inter talisman also maintained his free-scoring form against Salernitana. He has not bagged nine goals in five league appearances against the Salerno minnows.
After the game, he delivered his verdict on an outstanding showing at Stadio Arechi.
“If I score a lot it means I’ve helped the team a lot,” the Inter striker said, as relayed by FCInterNews. “I always focus on giving my teammates a hand.”
Martinez will probably lead the line when Inter take on Benfica in the Champions League on Tuesday.
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